Pepper Spray Incident Hospitalizes 11 Kentucky Students

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --

Jefferson County Public Schools officials are investigating a pepper spray incident aboard a middle school bus.

JCPS spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said 11 children were taken to hospitals. Four were taken to Kosair East and seven were taken to Kosair Children’s Hospital downtown. All 11 children were treated for exposure to pepper spray. They were decontaminated and showered at the hospital.

Hospital officials said all of the students had been released from the hospital by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Roberts said the bus, No. 0222, was from Westport Middle School.

The bus pulled off southbound Interstate 71, just past the Watterson Expressway, after the incident.

"When you get a phone call and all you hear is your child screaming -- I didn't have clue what was going on," said the mother of one of the students taken to the hospital, who wished to remain anonymous.

Roberts said two female students were arguing and one sprayed pepper spray.

"The little girl just shook up the pepper spray can and just started spraying it all in the front of the bus," said Angeletta Haynes, who says her 13-year-old daughter was the target of the pepper spray.

Haynes' other twin daughter was also on the bus at the time of the incident. Both daughters were taken to the hospital.

"It was just everywhere. Their faces were burning, their ears were burning," Haynes said.

Haynes got to the hospital before her daughters did and watched them exit an ambulance.

"My kids had towels on their faces. They were crying. It was just really hurtful to see them that way," Haynes said. "The whole incident is unbelievable because it could have been prevented."

Haynes said the incident was the result of an ongoing dispute between her daughter and the girl with the pepper spray. She said more could have been done to prevent Tuesday's incident.

JCPS officials said the student responsible will be disciplined, but Haynes said she wants more.

"That's not enough for me. I think the parent that gave it to the kid, that bought it, that let their child take it to school, I think they ought to be disciplined, too," Haynes said.

When asked whether she intended to pursue criminal charges, Haynes replied, "I plan on pressing charges against both the kid and the parent who purchased it for them."

JCPS officials said it is up to the parents to decide whether to pursue criminal charges. Two mothers told WLKY News they plan to do just that.

Haynes said her daughters will not be at school Wednesday. She said she refuses to send them back to Westport Middle School and will be seeking to transfer them to a different school.

Nineteen students remaining on the bus were taken home on that bus.

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